My journey in life.

 

My Journey as a Teacher.

A new job is like a blank book and you are the author. My Journey as a Teacher begins right after the completion of my two years teacher training course from July 1988 to June 1990, offered by Teacher Training College, Paro. Quite uncertain of the road not taken, I relied at the sight of stars to guide me to my destination and accomplish my journey. I lifted my maiden step with my placement order to Thungkhar Primary School, Trashigang in July 1990. 

Teacher Training College, Paro 1988-1990

15th of July 1990 was the day I was welcomed to a new place of my initial posting as a permanent professional teacher where I would start the journey of my career, hope and something great. Preceding to that I have an unforgettable moment during the journey to Thungkhar. I had some mixed feelings. I was excited and little depressed. I was excited because I was coming across newer experiences as well as I was going to join as a permanent teacher but also I was little depressed because I had to leave my wife and seven months old daughter behind, at Samtse. Although both of us, my wife and I were to work on the same ministry, we were not given appointment in the school nearby. However, I had no any other better option than to go to Thungkhar.

                                                         Thungkhar Pry School 1990

I started my journey with few little and necessary items that I could carry to Thungkhar. July normally is a peak rainy season in most part of Bhutan. Slushy road and wet atmosphere made the journey bit unpleasant as I was worried if we got stranded on the way due to road blocks. I was travelling from Samdrupjongkhar to Wamrong on the second day. If you have full faith on God, He will be at your side; no amount of obstacle can stop you at any time. Fortunately, I met one Dzongkha Language Teacher (DLT) in the same bus I was travelling. He was working in Wamrong Junior High School. My feeling of solitude and dejection reduced by meeting him. After our brief introduction I felt more homely as if I met my old and bosom friend. He was so kind and open hearted person that he told me everything about the route to Thungkhar. In a short period of time we developed so much of trust in each other that he even offered me a space to keep my stuff in his house which would be lifted in few days time. It was already noon when I reached Wamrong. It was raining cats and dogs. I was in dilemma whether to continue the journey or halt there. Suddenly I remembered a teacher, senior to me, who was working in Wamrong. I decided to put up with him that evening. Inquiring about his residence I reached his house.  Spent the night there with his gracious hospitality for which I was so grateful. The weather condition was no better than the previous day. It was still pouring down when I woke up in the crack of next day dawn. There was no alternative but to accept it, face it, and move on till I embrace the destination. I was thoroughly explained about the route. With full confidence and spirit I set out with a back-pack and an umbrella sliding slippery and muddy downhill path, following my sacred place of posting. There was no sign of subsidence of the downpour. I was partially drenched in the shower. In addition to this obscurity of the weather condition I began to sense another inconvenience and that was the language, which I did not know how to communicate with the local people and inquire about my destination since it was my first visit to the eastern part of Bhutan where they speak Sarchhokpa kha. I just followed the instructions provided by the DLT and my senior teacher about the route. I was unable to confirm and clarify with anyone on the way due to lack of language to communicate whether I was following the right way or not. I used to ask them with sign language "Thungkhar?” Somehow people used to decipher my hand gesture and give direction to follow the path. Following their directions I descended downhill, crossed a bridge and took right-turn from the bridge over Badanadi. I felt quite relieved when I caught the sight of some structures in a cluster at a distance from the hillock. That was Thunkhar Primary School!! After reaching the school gate I changed my wet clothes and sneaked into the school compound. I didn't know who all were there but to my surprise there were some of my colleagues, almost of my age. I felt so relaxed and homely. It was wonderful and joyous moment meeting friends after a very tedious and tough journey. 

 The next day, I was offered warm welcome to Thungkhar Primary School family. A sumptuous welcome lunch was hosted by the Headmaster, Mr. Laxman Chhetri and his wife Mrs.Deepa Pradhan. Mr. Chhetri was very kind, helpful and understanding person who provided me all the necessary arrangements and made me feel homely even in such remote place.

 There were not enough teachers’ quarters, so the teachers, mostly bachelors, had been staying together. I was too asked to join the group. In the group were Mr. Nepal, Health Assistant from BHU and two teachers from the same school, Mr. Siwan Rai and Mr. Dey. They had a mess together, assisted by one of the students, Master Tshewang, who used to manage all the household chores. We had a good time together but I had a number of funny incidences due to lack of local dialect, Sarchhopkha, which sometimes made me feel quite nostalgic. However, I never faced much of overcast in my state of mind because of lively colleagues together.

 

I was slowly getting adjusted to the environment and the system. Happy go lucky was the life. It’s the law of nature that we do not live the same day over and over again and call that a life. Life keeps evolving mentally, spiritually and emotionally. With a bolt from the blue, there came news about my daughter’s sickness and I had to rush immediately to Samste. Without any delay I reached Samtse. I was bit stress-free then when I came to know that the baby had been better than before. Quite unperturbed, I had a plan to return to school the next day. To my greatest disappointment, when I woke up the next day, there was a curfew in Samtse and everything was in chaos. We were stationed in the school campus. The movement had been prohibited by the Dzongkhag administration. The school got closed and some children were evacuated to Tsimalakha while the rest were sent to their respective homes. All the staff, including my wife was asked to report to Education Headquarters, Thimphu. The situation made me so agitated and alarmed that I was unable to picture out anything in my mind. We managed to dump our household belongings in one of our relatives’ house and left for Thimphu. We were escorted by the defense personals till Phuentsholing. It was a terrible journey with a small baby of nine months inclusive of all bags and baggage.

Education Headquarters forwarded my wife’s relocated appointment to Yonphula in Zone Four which was against our will. Although, Thungkhar Primary School fell in the same Zone it was very inconvenient for us to live at a distant location with a baby in the lap. It was so torturing to think about the agony of separation that we have had then. With our heavy heart we reached Trashigang and put up in one of our cousin’s place. We managed to attend the office in Yonphula from Trashigang and appealed for change of location and provide our posting together in one place. At last, with much appealing, we got placed in Lhuntse Junior High School. We willingly took this placement as it was better for us to be posted in one place and live together although it was a remote area. After obtaining our placement order I went to Thungkhar, picked up my belongings and started our journey to Lhuntse to join Lhuntse Junior high School.

 

                                                                 Lhuntse Jr. High School 1991

It was another adventurous but memorable journey to Lhuntse. We boarded the Samdrupjongkhar bus to Mongar. After we reached Mongar in the evening we were shocked to know that the road to Lhuntse had been blocked for last three months and was to open the next day of our arrival. The next day we woke up early and looked for conveyance. Fortunately, there was a black BGTS Tata truck parked and was getting ready to move for Lhuntse. We loaded our bags and baggage on to the truck and set out our journey to Lhuntse. The journey by a truck, sitting at the back in the open was horrific. One cannot imagine the chill and piercing cold of October month sitting at the back of a truck shivering, with a small baby of nine months on our lap. On top of that we were completely worn-out by the jerks and jumps of the truck when it rolled over the rugged road. However, we were happy for we were on a vehicle at least otherwise there was no any other means of transportation to Lhuntse. I still remember there were only two vehicles in Lhuntse when I first joined my work. One was the hospital ambulance and the other was the Dzongkhag Hilux. We were dead exhausted and cramped when we reached Lhuntse at about 12.30 midday. We looked not better than a labourer who works in a cement factory. We were completely tarnished by the dust and frozen by the chill cold. Cluttering and biting our teeth and shivering we got down from the truck. As we were unable to carry our belongings at this hour we looked for a house nearby. We came across the Post Office. We called out if anyone was inside. To my surprise, there appeared a person who was the temporary postmaster. He told the postmaster Mr. B.D.Sharma from Chhuka is due to join soon and he was no other than my cousin. It was a great relief for us. I introduced myself and we were provided the space for our things and started climbing up to the school.

It was understood that the principal had left for somewhere few hours ago but still we climbed up to his residence. It was Mr.Moktan; the Headmaster of the school, who was away.   We went straight to the Headmasters house and met Mrs.Renuka Subba better half of the principal. She was another great human being who was so caring and understanding. They understood our most important need of a shelter initially.  We were provided a room in their quarters till a house would be found. We stayed with them for two nights and shifted to an empty hut belonging to  Ap Dorji, Dzongkhag LDC in Dangrey.

                Lhuntse Jr. High School 1991

 

It was 31^st October, 1990 my wife and I joined Lhuentse Junior High School. We were happy as we could work in the same school and live a united family. But, the life was not as comfortable as in Samtse and Trashigang. Getting a better house with decent roof was difficult. We were residing in a bamboo hut. After few days we noticed lots of hard blister-like sores on our child’s body. We were so worried and took her to the hospital. There as another  great human who then said was there in Lhuntshe for 22 years already working  for the  Leprosy mission . Hats of to him for all the dedication he have  had for Bhutanese. He was no other than Mr. Prem Subba. He was very experienced some times  more than a doctor. He examined and declared that it was flea bites. We never knew about the fleas in the house. We  knew fleas would be with dogs and cats back home. We were unable to protect the child from the fleas. There appeared more and more blisters and it deteriorated the child’s health. So, we decided to take the child to Chengmari, Samtse  during our winter vacation and leave there with her grandparents. It was so painful and heart aching to leave the child in that manner. But we had no option, the situation demanded that.

Lhuntse was a place where one had to manage meals with limited food items. Getting basic grocery items and vegetables was another challenge. Cheese, dry wild mushrooms, spring onion, garlic, and chilies appeared seldom in the locality. We were unfamiliar with the Nakey (fern shoots), Pacha (cane shoots) and Damru (Elatostema lineolatum ‘botanical name’). We had to be happy and satisfied with potato and few other items that were available and familiar with. Later, I developed a small kitchen garden and grew our own vegetables of our choice. Most of our colleagues used to manage with dry fish but it was of no use for a vegetarian like me. 

Lhuentse was one of the remote boarding schools with more than three hundred students. The students were very simple and obedient. They were very helpful, polite and humble. They used to rush to volunteer for any kind of works, be it school’s or personal. Those days there was no abundant supply of LPG cylinders. None of us had gas cylinders and there was no electricity either to cook our food. So, the students used to collect firewood from the nearby forest for the teachers every weekend. In return we used to provide them good lunch, some toiletries, clothes or gift them with wristwatches, shoes and slippers when we were back from winter vacation. We did not have much money to give them tips, more over it had no value as there were not many shops nearby to spend. There was a good team of staff as well. I enjoyed working with the colleagues there. I remember of being 22 with most of the  teachers from India.   

Sometimes Lhuentse used to be cut off from the rest of the Dzongkhag, especially during monsoon season. The road to Lhuentse used to remain blocked for months due to landslides. Availing transportation from there was to have head in the clouds. We used to see a passenger transport once in a blue moon and that was  a black BGTS truck that used to make rounds between Lhuentse and Mongar. There was a Dzongkhag Hilux and an ambulance in the name of motor vehicles in Lhuntse Dzongkhag then.  I remember that once the road was blocked for such a long time that the few shops ran out of stock and we had to ask students to get kharang (maize rice) from their home. We even asked for cooking oil from the WFP store. I remember walking couple of times when there was a road block in a place called Rotpashong near Autsho on the way to Mongar.

In spite of all the adversities I took the pleasure in staying in Lhuentse and the memories are still afresh. The school had the classes ranging from Class PP to Class VIII. I got a lot of   experiences with varied responsibilities in the school there. I taught parallel classes with a VSO, Mr. Pete, who instilled in me a lot of work ethics which I still hold. I am very grateful to him for all he had done. Later, when the new primary science curriculum was introduced, I was nominated to attend science workshop and since then I started teaching science. I meet and recognize few students of Lhuntse and they have  made a social group and added me recently.  Lhuentse Junior High School got upgraded to High School and was shifted to Tangmachu, a new location in 1993. But I had to stay back in the same school until August 1997.

When  I reflect back to my initial appointment and  few  years later the NAPE (New  approach to Primary Education) was  followed till class 3 and we had to  follow the manuals  and conduct the  activities serially. Classes 4 and above use to be taught in the  Indian style as most of the  teachers were Indians teaching English, Maths, Science and even History and Geography in the higher classes.   It use to be a stereotype teaching where the  text was taught. I still remember teaching all chapters of Science  Today/ Science is Fun when there was no  Indian teacher. The teaching method changed when the Primary Science Textbooks with  activities  was introduced. 

Now with the  introduction of 21st century  teaching skills and ICT infusion teaching has become a challenging. It must be little  different in rural places  than in the  urban locations. Teachers really need to be  equipped with the modern and 21st century skills to motivate and arise the curiosity of learners to learn otherwise they loose interest in studies and start ignoring the subject. From my experience of teaching  from 1990 to 2021 I have had a multiple  of experience of teaching  various subjects in various  classes. I have been in touch  with so many students who have been working  in different organizations and I have been asking  of their  honest  feedback on my teaching. I have many but  I love to share one of them here. 

I have lot other experiences besides teaching. I visited Guwahati a couple of times to purchase sports items or get the school generator repaired. Once I met with an accident in Louthen Bus while travelling from Samdrupjongkhar to Guwahati and back. The bus’s fore-tyre got punctured when it was at very high speed in Charalie. The bus toppled and plunged into the pool of water beside the road. I was quite conscious and smart enough to catch hold of the hanging bar inside the bus with my left hand and the seat bar with the other hand. However, I managed onto the dry place on the road without getting wet. I can only thank God for He had saved my life. After few minutes, I realized that I had left my plastic bag inside the bus in which I had around Nu.30,000/- cash wrapped in my half gho. When I returned to the top of the bus I was shocked to see through the window that the plastic bag was floating on the water. Thank God! If I had lost that, my salary for more than a year would have gone. I just had my basic pay less than Nu.3000/- then.

I had to encounter another big blow which was more agonizing. My wife was compulsorily retired from the service as she had no census record.  In fact her census had been dropped while transferring to Gelephu from Samste in 1990. Although it was not something that was expected and desired, we lived with the smile on our face but with lot of pain in our heart. With no other alternatives and with heavy heart she remained as a house wife and started taking care of house hold chores.

Stay in Lhuentse taught me how to be self sufficient. As the vegetables of our choice were not available we started growing our own vegetables. We had so much of vegetables grown that anyone whoever visited us never returned empty handed. We grew a variety of vegetable like beans, chilies, lady fingers, brinjal, ridge guard, cucumber, potatoes and many more. On top of that we also raised a mini poultry farm. One cannot believe that we had fifty eight chickens at one time. It was so nice to see them how they were trained to lay eggs inside with the window pane kept open. There was an empty chalk box beside the Dewan and each one to lay egg got inside a box placed. Sometimes when we all had to go outing on Saturdays or Sundays during the day time we could call them back to the coop shouting "Lha Hai Lha Hai" few times and every single chicken would be into the coop. They were let out only for few hours under supervision as they used to be nuisance and destroyed the vegetables. They were also attacked by wild cats and eagles if not kept an eye on them. I remember one day a layer of hen was  badly injured. So we administered indigenous treatment with pure turmeric powder and mustard oil by which the wound dried up and was fit to lay eggs again in a week time . From the things we do we learn a lot.